HSMJRIKS MANAtilMbNT 



Matucct. ihc Director of PiclJ ScrMccs, the Rcuion;il 

 Director Ciencral. or even the Minister; then the lishing 

 fleets are ni>tified. Ilirouiihoul the season, managers 

 organize surveillance and enlbrcemenl to ensure compli- 

 ance with the regulations. 



There is little consistency in the methods used. In some 

 areas management decisions depend on the personal 

 knowledge and intuitions of the fishcrv officer and little 

 data. In others, sophisticated techniques ot" test tishiiig. 

 computer modelling, and electronic tish counting are 

 used. But in all cases, there is an alarming lack of" docu- 

 mentation on how management decisions are made; what 

 information is used, how it is interpreted and the results 

 obtained. The absence of clear guidelines, procedures 

 and documented results makes it ditVicuit to evaluate the 

 process, and it also impedes progress in this crucial part 

 of the Department's responsibilities. 



As the pressure on salmon stocks has increased, their 

 conservation and management has become increasingly 

 sensitive to detailed in-season decisions. Today, with the 

 .sophisticated and powerful salmon fleet, the conse- 

 quences of a management error can be severe, as the 

 Department acknowledges: 



When there were four or five days fishing per 

 week, a one day change in fishing time had 

 relatively little impact, whereas m the short 

 openings of today, a one day change can be 

 of major consequence. For example, exten- 

 sion from four to five days fishing is only a 25 

 percent increase in fishing time, wheras exten- 

 sion from one day to two days is a 100 per- 

 cent increase with commensurate removal of 

 fish likely to occur. An error in judging stock 

 strength or catching efficiency in the latter sit- 

 uation will be of considerable consequence. 

 The impact on escapement could be dra- 

 matic."* 



To cope with present needs and the new challenges that 

 can be expected, major improvements in the manage- 

 ment system will be necessary at both organizational and 

 technical levels. First, an organizational center is needed 

 to focus and coordinate in-season management activities 

 in each major area. I therefore recommend — 



6. In each area, a salmon management imit, reporting to 

 the Area Manager, should be formed and assigned 

 respoasibility for in-season management of the saimon 

 fisheries. 



These units should collect information on the composi- 

 tion of catches, fleet activities, escapements and the need 

 for regulatory changes. Each unit should be provided 

 with necessary biological support staff (on a seasonal 

 basis if necessary). 



in-season information on catches and fishing elfori 

 now flows to and from different fisheries in a hapha/.iir<.l 

 way. To capture data on catch and vessel activities 

 quickly, and to analyze this information so that managers 

 can have an almost instantaneous preliminary picture of 

 developing conditions in each fishery, obviously requires 

 efficient channels of communication and automated data 

 collection. An example of the kind of program needed is 

 the integrated data .system developed by the State of 

 Washington wherein preliminary information from .sport, 

 commercial and Indian fisheries is fed into a centralized 

 data .system and processed to provide a continuously 

 updated picture of the fisheries as they develop. Mana- 

 gers in the field, equipped with remote terminals, are pro- 

 vided with continuing information for management pur- 

 poses. 



In 1970, a study group recommended a complete 

 overhaul of the Department's statistical collection and 

 storage system, and a similar recommendation was made 

 by a team of consultants in 1980." In view of the urgency 

 of upgrading management capabilities, I recommend that 

 these improvements be made without further delay: 



7. The Department should, as expeditiously as possible, 

 upgrade the statistical collection processing and stor- 

 age system for in-season salmon fishery management, 

 taking full advantage of advanced technology in data 

 processing and remote terminal accessibility. 



Gathering information only with respect to the com- 

 mercial fishery will be insufficient. As I explain in Chap- 

 ter 15, the sport fishery, particularly in the Strait of 

 Georgia, requires careful monitoring; accurate and 

 timely information on catches is needed on a continuing 

 basis. Similar provisions must be made for reporting 

 catches in the Indian fishery. 



There is a need to maintain a better record of 

 the harvesting of the marine resources in 

 order to complete the full picture. Informa- 

 tion on cash buying, sport fishing catches, 

 and Indian food fisheries is not precise. This 

 inadequate information leads to wrong con- 

 clusions and decisions being made by the 

 resource managers and scientists. While 

 precise harvesting information is difficult and 

 expensive to collect, more emphasis should be 

 placed on this aspect of management.'" 



In addition to better reporting of catches as they occur, 

 test fishing in front of, within and behind the fishing 

 grounds can provide valuable information on the 

 strength of runs and their times of passage through the 

 fisheries. Expert advisors to this Commission emphasized 

 the value of such information and strongly advocated 

 expansion of test fishing. If organized on a charter basis, 

 however, test fishing is expensive. An alternative policy is 



